An inquest has been held into the death of a man found the toilets of an Asda supermarket in Swindon.
On April 26, 2023, a member of the security team at Asda in West Swindon had been doing regular afternoon checks when he noticed that someone had been in the men’s toilets for a considerable time.
According to the security guard, he recognised the same coat on the floor from his last check and so alerted other security members who were forced to knock down the door.
The store members discovered a male’s dead body inside the cubicle.
In an inquest into the death held on June 5, 2024, the man was formally named as 52-year-old Royston O’Neil Morris from Freshbrook in Swindon.
Coroner Ian Singleton heard how Royston, who had grown up in Swindon, had suffered from a long medical history of alcohol and drug abuse leading up to his death.
“He had daily cocaine and cannabis misuse,” a doctor’s report read.
“In 2017 his alcohol intake was around five to 10 cans per day and he spent around £25 on cocaine daily.
“He was referred to the drug alcohol teams several times and had attended appointments.”
The inquest heard how Royston had tried to actively engage with the substance misuse charity Change Grow Live, and had expressed a desire to stop his drinking problem.
But on the morning of April 26, he was seen on CCTV entering Asda in West Swindon just after 8am and buying several cans of alcohol.
He left the shop to go and sit outside McDonald's and then was seen re-entering on CCTV at 9.27am and heading towards the male toilets.
It remains unclear how Royston died, but police officers who attended the scene said there were no signs of any third-party involvement.
The call to the South West Ambulance Service was made just after 3pm and Royston is believed to have been dead for some time before he was discovered.
He was officially declared dead at 4.15pm.
“Royston Morris had a medical history of alcohol and drug abuse,” said Coroner Ian Singleton.
“The conclusion is one of drug-related death.”
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